The 46th
International Paris Air Show took place between June 13 and June 19,
2005. The event, which is considered the largest showcase of aerospace
technology in the world, has been around since 1908. In 1951, on the
eve of the Space Age, Paris Air Show moved to Le Bourget airport, where
it was held biennially ever since. The USSR regularly used the event
to advertise its aviation and space technology. In 1967, it was the
site of the first public display of the Vostok
rocket. In 1989, a giant Antonov-224 Mriya transport plane landed
in Le Bourget, carrying the Buran reusable orbiter
on its back. In 2005, Russia showed a scaled mockup of the Kliper
reusable orbiter, which one day can replace venerable Soyuz
spacecraft.